Information About Chiropractic Treatment
Dr Richard Boyd (Doctor of Chiropractic) is a highly-skilled chiropractor in Dorking, Surrey, who can provide you with back pain relief through gentle chiropractic treatment.
Is It For Me?
Chiropractic has been recognised since ancient times for effective pain relief and healing. The word Chiropractic is derived from the Greek words chiro meaning ‘by hand’ and practikos meaning ‘to practice’ – so the word chiropractic literally means to practice-by-hand.
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​Chiropractic is a drug-free method of restoring health to people of all ages, from infants, right up to the elderly. Chiropractic involves gentle spinal manipulation and joint manipulation to effect pain relief, better posture, and general overall well-being. Chiropractors realise that the human body has the ability to heal itself. The treatments provided focus on removing the interference to the body’s healing process.
The most common reason why someone may see a Doctor of Chiropractic is for lower back pain. 80% of us will experience back pain at some point in our lives, and at present an astounding 30% of the UK population suffer with this condition.
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Chiropractic is also effective for the management and pain relief of neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, whiplash, headaches, sciatica, knee pain, pins and needles, osteoarthritis, repetitive strain injury, trapped nerves and sports injuries. For a sample selection of discussions about some of these ailments, see the dropdown menu under the “Chiropractic” tab. Here you will find more detailed information about these common problems and how chiropractic can help give you pain relief.
Studies carried out by the Medical Research Council states that “chiropractic treatment was 30% more effective than hospital out-patient management, mainly for patients with chronic or severe back pain.
“Patients with low back pain treated by chiropractors derive more benefit and long term satisfaction than those treated by hospitals”.
Sounds Interesting.
You may be wondering, ‘Is chiropractic care for me?’ The answer most likely is: yes it is.
The good news is that 99% of musculoskeletal pain, especially low back pain and neck pain is down to mechanical reasons, i.e. problems with the function of the muscle, joints, ligaments, tendons, etc. Only 1% of diagnoses in these areas represent more sinister causes, like neurological problems or tumours, etc.
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Your chiropractor will have completed at least five years of university education, with a supervised clinical internship, resulting in the award of Master of Science, and eligibility for registration with the UK regulator the General Chiropractic Council. The training will allow your chiropractor to determine whether your problem is mechanical or not, and if it is then there is a chance chiropractic can help you. If you do not have a mechanical problem, then a GP referral can be provided.
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Chiropractic care is suitable for all ages: babies, young children, teenagers, young adults (even pregnant women), middle aged and the elderly. Quite literally anybody can refer themselves to a chiropractor for assessment. Each age group has its own considerations and your chiropractor will take these into account. For example, treatment on children will be specifically tailored to be ultra-gentle, and for the elderly, arthritis or osteoporosis will very often be a concern, but again the manual techniques will be adapted to get the job done, whilst remaining as safe as possible for the individual.
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Whatever age group you fall into or your diagnosis, as well as any concerns you may have, will be fully discussed before treatment starts. After all, it’s your body and we, as healthcare providers, are here to serve you, so please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.